Inactive

The Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 2 is issuing this source sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resour... The Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 2 is issuing this source sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources providing Gardening for Resilience & Optimal Wellness Project Services at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), James J. Peters VA Medical Center. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 624120. The contractor will provide therapeutic horticulture services, a horticultural therapist and licensed social worker are required as apart of the services for eligible beneficiaries of the VISN 2 Network. The bulk of the participants are expected to be veterans and the James J. Peters VAMC staff. This model of alternative treatment will offer the services defined below.  The structure of each program offered shall remain consistent across all Therapeutic Horticultural Sessions. The program is designed primarily for veterans with PTSD and/or Military Sexual Trauma and Moral Injury. The design for each group shall be to involve small groups of veterans in Therapeutic Horticultural (TH) activities that will enhance quality of life identifiers for participating individuals. Horticultural therapy is a time-proven practice, with a substantial body of research dating back to the 1800 s demonstrating that exposure to natural settings, engagement with plants and gardening-based interventions can benefit individuals experiencing a range of mental health difficulties. A growing body of empirical evidence has revealed that exposure to and engagement in the natural environment, provides psychological benefits, including reduced stress and anxiety, improvements to mood, increased perceived wellbeing, improved concentration and attention and cognitive restoration. These findings support the notion that exposure to natural environments, when used as a coping tool, may be a source of attention restoration and relief from mental fatigue and illness. The Resilience & Wellness Center has an existing community partnership with the New York Botanical Gardens. The THRIVE program (Therapeutic Horticulture and Rehabilitative Intervention for Veteran Engagement), consists of Veteran engagement in a combination of didactic, experiential, and instructional group-based interventions specifically designed for our Bronx-based Veterans, with recent efforts focusing on creating restorative environments and growing nourishing food in the home. Pre- and post-session data from the THRIVE program was collected from Veterans where they were asked to self-report on their pain, stress, mood, and loneliness. What our program found was statistically significant reduction in all 4 domains from pre- to post-session as well as a sustained effect over the program s duration. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: Organization name, DUNS number, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and socioeconomic status of the organization. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) must be verified at https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to 1) provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. Submission Instructions: interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by August 18, 2021 at 5:00 PM EST. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to enell.riley@va.gov